At the center of The Eye is the concept of cellular memory, the theory that memory can be found imprinted on the cellular level. This would lead transplant recipients to possibly have memories or cravings that originated with the donor. Doubt and controversy surround the thought that this could be a real thing, and to this point there have been no scientific studies regarding this idea. Well, there is nothing that I found anyway. Despite no consensus on the possibility, it still remains an intriguing enough idea to be fodder for the cinematic mill.
If you couldn't tell already, the organ causing the memories in this film are the eyes, more specifically, the corneas. Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) is a young woman who has been living with blindness since her childhood, but a corneal transplant seems to be her key back to the land of the seeing. At first, the operation appears to be a success, but before too long strange things begin to happen. Sydney begins to see things, her room is changing and she is having strange visions. What does it all mean, and what is the connection to the donor?
That sums up the plot. What follows after that are the attempts to figure out what she is seeing and the effort to separate reality from illusion. Surprisingly, it works out rather well for most of the film.
Co-directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud do a good job of building atmosphere in their second outing, their first since the 2006 French thriller called Ils (aka Them). There is a slow-burn build throughout most of the movie leading to an explosive finale. They take their time constructing this world around Sydney. We are allowed to experience what Sydney is experiencing. We walk alongside her as she moves about her routine and continue to do so as she comes out of surgery and must make heads or tails of the new sensory input. What is real? What isn't? Why doesn't anyone believe her when she speaks of what she sees? In addition to that, they handle the scares in an effective manner. Sure, a few of them could have been a bit creepier, but for the most part they succeed in creating atmosphere in a more understated way, where another director might have resorted to more in-your-face shocks.
Article comments
1 - GG man
This movie was a waste of my time. Not only was it somewhat of a chick flick horror, it was horribly made and forcibly wanted to put fear in you. HORRIBLE.